Meet The Panel

Ady is a sewing knitting ninja. She pedals things (in both meanings of the word) across the city, or just to create yummy smoothies. If not, there is probably a Doctor Who or Firefly marathon on somewhere. She sells her hand-sewn frocks and such under the name of Embley. She could create a nest in her closet, where she hopes to one day sit for weeks on end with books, poetry, music, and a tea party set.

Also, do not frack with a girl who spins fire for fun.

Aileen can usually be found in her school’s drama room working on the school play or helping to direct scenes for the younger grades. When she is not there she is either in her film class, reading books, driving around, listening to music, eating Subway, planning her future travels, or all of the above.

Ander plays in the dirt (grows food), discusses details (organizes with the IGNITE! Youth Panel), makes messes and cleans kitchens (works in restaurants), and wears silly hats in meetings (lives in a community house). Ander can be seen biking across the city, baking vegan muffins, sifting through houseware in thrift stores, and keeping his closet from taking over his bedroom.

Cydney is a first year panel member, originally from bizerkistan, this dancing queen is an amalgamation of truth, beauty, freedom and love. She is Art, Dance, Theatre, Music, Poetry and the man your man could smell like only a woman. The sole citizen of a made up country, this renaissance gal is one of a kind just like a home knit scarf, enjoys long walks on the beach and horse riding. I am on a horse…

Desiree Nicole is a fifteen year old who often adopts different accents to express how she is feeling. Desiree will often be seen sporting about fifteen friendship bracelets at any given time and if you ask nicely, she MIGHT give you one. Desiree loves to bake muffins. Picnics and tie dying are Desiree’s jam. If she’s not picnicking or tie dying, she is probably dead. Or baking muffins. This is Desiree’s first time on the panel and loves it. Desiree often wonders if octopuses are going to take over the world and become the new leading species. Scratch that, she knows it.

Lili is fifteen years old and this is her second year on the Cultch’s Youth Panel. Among other things, she enjoys theatre, things to do with Harry Potter and having more than slightly delirious discussions with friends in the middle of the night, and, now that she thinks about it, in the middle of the day, too. Also enjoyable are baked goods. And people who bring/make her baked goods. Witty people, the arts, creating things and dance parties are super fun, too, which is why she loves being part of the IGNITE! team.

This is Lucille‘s second year on Youth Panel and she’s still loving every aspect of it. When she’s not frantically finishing socials homework she can be found listening to dirty rap music, baking something delicious, playing with something shiny or going to local shows.

When not setting things on fire, Lukas can be found doing things like juggling, cooking, bike riding, building anything from a sonic screwdriver controlled lock to a bike that shoots fire, and a whole bus load of other stuff, including baking with other people (maybe cake?).

Some of Lukas’s obsessions include drinking tea, folding origami board games or anything else of the sort, pie, fire, bacon, and anything that goes beep,

Also, that bit about the cake, totally not a lie.

Maya is said to be descended from wild forest cats, but says she hates cats nonetheless. Maya can often be found yelling about women’s rights or the government and over pronouncing Vegetable (she insists its veg-ee-table) Maya hates it when you drink straight out of a milk carton and loves The Smiths, one time, she managed to convince quite a few people that there was a dead rabbit in her closet. Maya belongs to a secret order of knitters that congregate in parks with various baked goods, this is Maya’s first year on the panel.

Michael Jaworski is a local Vancouverite with roots in both the West and East Side. Michael is 16 years old and has been immersed in art and culture his entire life, thanks to his wonderful friends and family and his diverse community. His passion is photography, but he loves all forms of art, and he aspires to be an architect and designer. Here are some random facts about Michael:
-As a child he bumped his head hundreds (maybe even thousands) of times
-Michael’s favourite drink is roasted Yerba Maté
-Michael plans to live on multiple remote volcanic islands for different periods of his life
-Michael dreams of designing a building to add to Vancouver’s skyline, and of one day having his photography exhibited at the VAG, Robert Adams-style

Michelle is in training to become Jedi master, but in her spare time she likes to paint, hang out with friends, listen to music and many other amazing things, like youth panel (This is Michelle’s second year doing youth panel). She is currently attending Emily Carr to get her masters in painting. In the mean time she is hoping to become the chosen one and bring balance to the force in this forsaken world of doom.

Mason Barnes-Crouse is an ageless philosopher from the future who fights terminators and helps organize youth art festivals in his spare time.

This odd child is Mikayla Burke, by the time you read this she will have turned 17.

She joined Youth for the first time this year after her friend convinced her. And she is super glad her friend convinced her!

She is a goof and loves to read, she can be found slaving over socials work and being an airhead with her friends.

She is a people person and just might chat your ear off if you get to know her well enough.
So for this first year, and those to come, please be kind to her!!

Here’s Nina. She’s the half ginger who likes to draw and cuddle, usually both at the same time, and drink tea. She enjoys rap that is clever although mostly profanities, and any synth band will probably be to her liking. She’s so stoked it’s almost unbearable for this years ignite festival, if she spontaneously combusts before the event she will be thoroughly disappointed.

Rebecca does all of her best thinking on trains and at youth panel. Some days she wonders what sort of genius could be created if these two things were combined, but other days she just wants to curl up in the sunshine and be a cat.

Svava is a tiny girl who pursues many scholarly and extra-curricular activities when she isn’t being a slave to the educational system! When Svava isn’t performing statistical analyses and writing papers, she can be found washing her hands, knitting, making witticisms and looking up other clever words to use in conversation. Svava thinks that the biggest problem facing youth today is that they are unable to identify their favourite magazine article.

Zoë is excited to be on the Youth Panel for the first time this year. She can’t wait to get dressed up for youth week.